How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

I still consider myself and my nose fairy uneducated when it comes to the broad world of fragrance, especially the niche side. I see lots of threads pop up talking about things like scents of feces or urine, civet, milk, blood and other bodily fluids and other wilder things.

I just wondered how many folks are interested in trying something along those lines? I know I am not daring enough to want to wear a cologne that even remotely smelled fecal! Daring for me is the gas/oil note in Fahrenheit, or the burned rubber in Bulgari Black (Both of which I really enjoy)

I guess I am just wondering how many push the envelope and experiment, or those who play it relatively safe.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

I think something like smelling fecal or urine like is totally subjective. A lot of frags that people say smell that way smell nothing like that to me. The only frag I have smelled that actually smelled like feces to me was Untitled #8. Kouros, MKK, Oud 27, Dior Leather Oud, are all just beautiful to me, but many have said these smell like bodily fluids. Follow your nose and wear what smells good to you, just dont over do it with the more daring selections.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

That makes sense. Just as I have seen great scents like Azzaro or RGPH described as smelling like a mens room, which I don't see at all. But I would be afraid that even if I didn't notice a truly offensive odor in a cologne, maybe my wife, co-worker etc. would think I stink!

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

Two of my favorite and most complmented scents are Dior Leather Oud and MKK. So I guess I am daring. On the other hand I had a salesperson that I trust say that everything turns sweet on me. Have not yet found a truly dirty scent...but the search continues!

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

In most cases, when one talks about dirty and the like, it is not literal, these are just suggestive terms to denote something deeper, muskier, lived in-literal urine or feces is, indeed, disgusting. Note incidentally that most of these notes were not niche at all; civet, for instance, was ubiquitous in old mainstream perfumes, some of which are considered very conservative and old-lady.

There are just a few frags that push the envelope. Eg Sec Mag, which is a conceptual experiment not supposed to be worn on skin. Or the very wearable, but very musky, Muscs Koublai Khan and Oud 27. They do not smell like feces or urine, but they are very musky. Here it is more a matter of taste. Note also that many musks are perceived differently by different noses, some are hypersensitive and some do not smell them at all. So for instance Oud 27 can be percevied by clean and powdery by the minority who are anosmic to its main musk, sexy and warm by most others, and unbearably dirty underwear by those who are hypersensitive to them.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

Originally Posted by charger

That makes sense. Just as I have seen great scents like Azzaro or RGPH described as smelling like a mens room, which I don't see at all. But I would be afraid that even if I didn't notice a truly offensive odor in a cologne, maybe my wife, co-worker etc. would think I stink!

Yeah, I have similar concerns. As a newcomer, I'm concerned that I may not be able to detect bad notes that others may.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

Your sense of daring or conservative will change. The trick is to try and judge a perfume by how it smells and not by its reputation- which can be ridiculously overblown and hyped to the point where it bears little resemblance to the reality. It's hard to do, but if you can manage it you'll find that there are very few perfumes out there that are really so outrageous.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

I don't consider myself conservative, judging by my collection. I pretty much have loud and subtle fragrances. I pretty much have a fragrance for every occasion. If I want to be loud and daring I can...If I want to be low key, same thing...

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

When it comes to pushing the envolopes on certain frags, I tend to be conservative. A lot of Oud frags smell like feces IMO which is mainly due to the civet content. For that reason I stay away from a lot of oud frags. Frags such as 24 gold contain oud, but it's very faint. But the bottom line is enjoy frags you feel comfortable with.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

I tend to be daring. I enjoy experimenting with all types of fragrances from subtle to beast projection. One must simply learn to process of application. And I agree with Sig3839, one should enjoy those fragrances that you are comfortable wearing.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

I am quite conservative. I personally do not like Dior Leather Oud, Xerjoff Zafar, Bond No.9 HSLE and others like these. These smell like a barnyard or a zoo to me. I don't want to smell that, and I don't want to smell like that to others around me.

Maybe some don't detect the feces notes in these, and that is why they enjoy them - or maybe they do detect the fecal note, but get some enjoyment from that. I guess it is good that we don't all like the same thing. That is the whole reason for niche anyway - something for everyone.

I wear fragrance mostly to smell nice and fresh. I do enjoy incense fragrances and other types that would not be considered fresh or clean, but overall I do keep it very conservative.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

I let the activity dictate my choice for what to wear.
- If I'm at work, I go with something safe with a nod to elegant (Aventus or Ungaro III)
- For a date, I go safe with a nod to sexy/playful (Hanae Mori, H.M.) or sexy/smart (Gucci Pour Homme II)

Those are mostly conservative choices because work and first dates aren't times when I want to take risks with scent.

When it comes to sampling, I'm not conservative AT ALL. I'll try anything. If I have to wash it off, so be it. If I'm hanging out with friends, I try to make sure I've worn the scent at least once already so I know it a little, but I don't worry about wearing something too bold or out there. In fact, I love seeing if I get reactions. I'm often more surprised by things that get no reaction.

Originally Posted by charger

I just wondered how many folks are interested in trying something along those lines? I know I am not daring enough to want to wear a cologne that even remotely smelled fecal! Daring for me is the gas/oil note in Fahrenheit, or the burned rubber in Bulgari Black (Both of which I really enjoy)

I have a date tonight with a woman who is really cool. I'm wearing Fahrenheit because I have a sneaky suspicion she'll love it. I use 1st and 2nd dates to get to know a woman's taste so I can start wearing bolder scents around her. It's really fun when I get it right, not that I always do.

As for Bvlgari Black... that's an excellent cool weather scent for a 3rd date, in my opinion. And it's great on a woman too. God, I have suuuuuch a wonderful memory from that one with a marvelous woman. It was the first time I'd brought her back to my place. We were sitting on the couch enjoying a glass of wine. She mentioned that I smelled good and took my hand so she could smell my wrist. But she didn't smell anything there. I grinned and told her I sprayed my chest, so she leaned in and smelled. Then she took off her shirt and said "You should spray mine too." Yay for Bvlgari Black and assertive women.

Originally Posted by charger

I guess I am just wondering how many push the envelope and experiment, or those who play it relatively safe.

I'm going to guess that many of us do both, depending on the situation.

One of the best things you can do, in my opinion, is find friends whose taste you trust. When in doubt, get their opinions. I bet you'll find that many things you considered "out there" are safer than you think. I know I found that to be the case.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

I think within my wheelhouse, I play it relatively "safe", but on the other hand, I'm not afraid of weird notes. (I am, however, afraid of "loud" fragrances.) Who defines "safe," though? I've seen some people get all "oo!" at the fact that I wear some fragrances marketed to men, but I don't see anything risky in that at all.

As for "fecal" and other body notes, well. I would have worn Imaginary Authors' Bull's Blood, which most certainly smelled like blood, and the fecal smell of traditionally tanned leather, and other black and nasty things, except that it couldn't stand up to my skin and ended up smelling like a senile old lady. A lot of other "dirty" notes rely on musk, and I can't smell synthetic or so-called vegetal musk properly -- rather hilariously, it smells like soap to me. I like the smoky smell of birch and other tars, it seems. Civet, too, is strangely appealing -- like the faint drift of the scent of a skunk's musk from across a field, which is far nicer than the stench of a skunk's musk on one's dog would suggest. (Now if only I could find a civet scent that wasn't overladen with hideous reeky floriental amber muck. Something about civet seems to bring out the the old school in a perfumier.)

I don't like traditional, heavy, "perfumey" perfumes -- ambyuck, orientals, floral jasbilge ylech ylech fruitsoup. For me, those are the ones that are "unsafe" -- likely to give me headaches or worse, and very likely to rot on my skin to something even more horrifying. This is the only reason I ever started fooling around with indie and niche fragrances at all -- that I haven't been able to find anything in the mass market that doesn't make me want to, literally, run screaming for a sink and some industrial cleanser. But this goes for the vast majority of fragrances that are many decades old, too, that are venerated as classics by a majority of discriminating and knowledgeable people, including many here.

So, then -- what IS "daring"? What is "safe"?

Edited to add that even though it's a typo I'm charmed by your "nose fairy".

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

fecal/indolic musky-floral notes and/or urine-like odours provided by herbs/spices and certain citruses are more related to a conservative approach to perfumery. Daring has nothing to do with these notes that were mainly used in old-school compositions such us, say, Joy, Jicky and the likes.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

I just wear what I like, can be stinky, feminine...if it brings me enjoyment, I'll wear it.

That said, one is, or feels, forced to restrict oneself in certain situations as to not irritate modern noses. I've had some comments, esp from girlfriends, who did not appreciate classic manly perfumes all that much lol.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

It really depends on how one defines those terms. I own mostly stuff that isn't quite as "mass market" compared with other stuff. I personally consider mainline dept. store stuff as being "conservative" in that it appeals to a very broad audience, whereas niche scents aren't necessarily looking for Acqua di Gio-level popularity. As a man, I own several scents marketed for women. I'm not sure if that is considered daring, but I don't think twice about it, really. For work, though, I tend not to wear anything that I think would be sharply polarizing or overbearing (for example, M7). I don't need people to love my scent, but I reserve the the more daring stuff for other times. I'd say the majority of my collection is on the "louder" end of the spectrum rather than the tamer stuff.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

It all depends on your comfort zone. I believe I've managed to extend mine pretty broadly but before deciding on a SotD, a gentleman takes into consideration the social situations he is likely to find himself in during the day. Personal gratification should never be acquired at the expense of others.

Re: How daring, or conservative are you with your frags?

I love animalic fragrances and have no problem wearing them for social occasions or even to the office.

I agree with alfarom that use of this type of ingredient was common in classical perfumery. It has only been for the past couple of decades that people have turned their backs on the richness and complexity offered by animalics and looked towards the cheap, simple smells of cleaning compounds or soft drinks as something to be desired.

Times do change, though. If during the '70s you had worn something that smelled like shampoo or liquid dishwash or fruit syrup you would've been considered quite daring!

Don't fret over this, and don't feel as if you have to like something because others do. As a fragrance lover you should educate yourself, but as for wearing fragrances, wear what you like and what you are comfortable with.

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Originally Posted by hedonist222

I'll pour absolutes of castoreum and/or civet on myself without giving it a second thought.